


Common Virtue

by ChloeRhiannonX



Category: Total Drama
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-03-27
Updated: 2014-09-08
Packaged: 2018-01-17 06:19:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 9,685
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1377034
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChloeRhiannonX/pseuds/ChloeRhiannonX
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>June 1940. Britain is in the midst of World War II. Courtney is an evacuee from upper-class London who has never left the big city. Now she is being forced to take cold baths, do farm work and, worst of all, put up with her evacuee brother, Duncan.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**June 14th 1940**

The tears that ran down her rosy cheeks were the most real kind she could form. All the other kids were crying, so why shouldn't she? Liking to be centre of attention, Courtney bawled louder than all the other kids, watching out the window to someone who wasn't even there.  
By the time the train had left the station and she was now watching rolling hills instead of crowds of mourning parents, Courtney had given up the act. She wasn't saddened by the fact she was being forced out of London against her will, in fact she was glad. No more nights crammed into the air raid shelter, having to share a bed with her three cousins-who had all wet it on more than one occasion. Babies, Courtney would call them as she'd grab at the dry side of the shared quilt. It was only a thin piece of material, which left them all shivering, but it was the best they had. The loud sirens made it hard to sleep, too.  
The other kids in the train compartment could definitely give Courtney's cousins a run for their money, or so Courtney thought. It had been two hours now and they were all still sniveling away. Courtney continued to read her tattered copy of The Tale Of Peter Rabbit, not a tear drop in sight. She didn't know where her cry-baby cousins were, but she was just glad they weren't in her compartment. So Courtney got lost in her book.  
It was hours later, when Courtney had discovered she had read through what had apparently been dinner time (where all the snot-nosed children in her compartment ate their stale cheese sandwiches) and was now being told by an older man with a funny moustache that the next stop they would be getting off. Several of the children started crying again.  
Courtney promptly put her book into her knapsack and put her sights back out the window. She hoped she'd be staying in another city, maybe not one as large as London (because looking where being a big city got her home), but one big enough so she could still get lost everyday for the duration of her stay. Instead she was met with fields. Green fields scattered with small white animals she knew to be sheep. Courtney had never seen a real sheep up close before, and they were quite ugly if she said so herself. The train was slowing down and the station master called out 'Last stop in Swansea'.  
Courtney's face scrunched up as the train came to a complete halt. Swansea? There was no way she was going to be stuck in Swansea for the next however long she would be away from London. For one it was a major city and faced as much bombing as London did, if not more since it was a main supplier for oil and had plenty of boat ports. Courtney had done her evacuation research as soon as she found out there was even a chance she was leaving.  
There must have been some mistake, she was sure. She collected her knapsack and headed out of the compartment. She saw the man with the funny moustache and immediately marched up to him, demanding to know what was going on.  
"Of course you won't be staying in Swansea, miss," the strange man told her through a strained smile. "You'll be staying up the Gowerton way." Gowerton? Where the hell was Gowerton? Before Courtney could even begin to question him further, he was beckoning all the children from her compartment and the next- the only ones left on the train- towards the platform outside.  
Courtney did a quick headcount, but she didn't recognise anyone around her. All these kids didn't look like the type that would be allowed near the school gates of her grammar school, let alone actually inside. There were more girls than boys, but most of the girls were much younger than Courtney. They looked like they had all been crying in the compartment next to hers, and though the boys were trying to put on brave faces with this chins held high, Courtney noticed the puffiness of their eyes.  
She was last to leave the train and was moved towards the back of the line by the man with the funny moustache. A plump woman was standing at the front and once Courtney got into place, she began marching all twelve of them away. It was a short walk towards the church, but some of the kids started screaming about wanting their mummy's, which made all the more unbearable for Courtney. The woman up front tried to shush them and, before letting them inside the church, cleaned them up. Courtney was spotless and was led inside right away.  
The hall wasn't as big as it looked from outside, but that may have also had something to do with the small group of adults that were standing on the left side of the alter while Courtney joined the line of kids on the right side. She could feel the burning eyes of each adult as they inspected her. Courtney knew she would be one of the last to leave because the boys would go first- they'd make perfect farm hands. And then the younger girls would go because they were just too cute to ignore. Courtney was at that older age where she wasn't exactly cute anymore, but she wasn't exactly mature enough to be classed above the other girls. Being eight sucked sometimes.  
It was half hour later when Courtney's number was called. She had lost interest in looking at the adults in front of her and was instead off daydreaming about Peter Rabbit in her head when she heard her name being snapped. The plump woman shot her a warning glance and Courtney dashed to her side. The woman she had been talking to was smiling down at Courtney with a look the young girl couldn't quite place. Her hair was a mousy blonde, cut short so that it didn't even brush her shoulders. Her red coat was faded and her brown trousers didn't look like they would match any outfit. Courtney couldn't say she looked too good herself, wearing her school blazer (the best jacket she could find) over a pale grey dress and black tights, but she was sure she still looked better than the woman with mud crusted wellies.  
"Courtney, this is Mrs. Evans. You're going to be staying with her and her family in Gowerton." Courtney didn't respond, just bowed her head as the mousy blonde-Mrs. Evans-led her outside. She kept a hand on Courtney's back, an almost-smile on her face. Courtney kept glancing up at her, but she then tripped a few times over the cobblestones.  
Mrs. Evans rushed the two of them along when they rounded the corner. A large metal contraption sat at the end of the road with someone ringing a bell, calling for the last passengers. Courtney knew it to be a bus, but it looked so different from the buses in London that it took a moment for her feet to begin to move again.  
The bus wasn't nearly as crowded as she had expected. Mrs. Evans explained it was an off-peak time of the day where the adults were in work and the children were in school so there wouldn't be many people around to take the bus.  
The journey was faster than anything Courtney had experienced on a bus. In London there were more automobiles on the roads. In Swansea there were very few that she could see. By the time Mrs. Evans had finished exclaiming how excited she was to have a little girl around the house, they were already off the vehicle.  
As the bus moved along in the distance, Mrs. Evans led Courtney down a muddy lane. She was muttering something about having to get Courtney a proper pair of shoes, but Courtney was too busy watching her footing to hear much of it. Her black boots were slipping under her feet, and were definitely more brown than black now. Mrs. Evans grabbed for her hand, hauling Courtney along the track for a mile or so before a large house came into view. Behind it were plenty of fields and a few more houses in the distance. A large barn with peeling paint stood to the left and a large creature with a pink snout and a wide, chewing mouth stood to her right. Courtney screamed and jumped away, landing directly in the mud pile.  
Mrs. Evans laughed. "Oh, don't mind her," she chided, helping Courtney to her feet. "That's just Lacey, one of our milking cows. You ever seen a cow before?" Courtney shook her head, a distraught shadow crossing her face as she refused to take a step closer to the beast as Mrs. Evans patted its head.  
"Well, come on," the older woman continued walking towards the house. "We better get you cleaned up before the boys come home." Courtney's heart dropped to her stomach as she followed. Mrs. Evans pushed open the wooden gate at the end of the lane and turned to Courtney, a motherly smile on her face, "Welcome to Catref Farm." 

 

After the end of her first day on Catref Farm, Courtney had decided on three things she hated the most in her miserable, young life.  
1) Cold bath water.  
The first thing Mrs. Evans made her to when she got in was take a bath to wash away all the mud from her face and hands, and just to 'freshen up' after her long trip. Courtney had never taken a cold bath before and had the shock of her life when she jumped into the metal tub without a second thought.  
2) Farm work.  
After the bath, Mrs. Evans found some old clothing of her youngest sons that consisted of a green t-shirt and faded denim dungarees. The wellies she found we still a bit big, but Courtney stuffed an extra sock in each so they wouldn't slop on her feet. Right after that, Mrs. Evans began giving Courtney a tour of the farm and showed her how to milk cows. As Courtney was too scared to go near any of the cows, Mrs. Evans gave her a broom and told her to sweep up the hay in the horse stables instead. Luckily for Courtney, the horses were out grazing.  
3) Duncan Evans.  
After the three hours of torturous farm work, the boys came home. There were three of them. Davy, Dale and Duncan. Davy was the eldest at sixteen, and Courtney quickly learnt that all he cared about was being drafted into the army early, which Mrs. Evans yelled at him for. Dale was quiet and shy and spent all the time before and after dinner in his bedroom. Duncan was a handful. He was around Courtney's age and the first thing he did when Courtney introduced herself was pull on one of her pigtails. She slapped his hand away and he laughed. And all through dinner all he did was tease and make fun of her for everything from her English accent to the fact she was wearing his old clothes.  
Mrs. Evans explained, after dinner, that Duncan was a bit sore at the moment because she was giving Courtney his room and he was having to share with Dale. Courtney didn't see it as an excuse for him to be so rude to her.  
Later that night, after she had voluntarily stayed to help clear away the dishes, Courtney climbed the stairs and entered the bedroom that she now knew was rightfully Duncan's. However, she felt no remorse in taking it anymore.  
It was cold in the room and when she looked up she found the window was open and a small figure was sat on the flat kitchen roof outside. Moving closer, she found it to be the person she wanted to see the least.  
"Aren't you cold?"  
"No."  
"Why are you out here?"  
Silence.  
"None of your business."  
Courtney rolled her eyes and had stuck one leg out of the window before Duncan yelled at her, "What are you doing?" He jumped to his feet, backing away from her. "You can't come out here, this is my place!"  
"Well, it's my place now too," she pointed out. Duncan pulled a face and sat back down. "And I'm here to give you a chance."  
"A chance to what?"  
"To apologise for being mean to me." Duncan raised his eyebrow at Courtney as if he didn't understand a word that came out of her mouth. He turned his head away and mumbled something that didn't sound English to her. "What was that?"  
"I'm not apologising!" He claimed abruptly.  
Courtney scowled, huffed and got to her feet. "Why did I even think you had the decency to be nice, you-you-you ogre!" She stormed back inside before she could see the competitive smirk on Duncan's face.


	2. Chapter 2

**June 16th 1940**

It had been two days since Courtney had arrived at Catref Farm, and this was the second morning she found herself being woken up by the obnoxious animals at the crack of dawn. Back home in London, Courtney would be woken up by the automobiles driving past her house, but that wasn't for many more hours into the morning than the farm animals decided to wake up.   
Yesterday morning had been a shock to the system for Courtney, now she knew what to expect. On her first morning, Courtney had dressed in one of the few dresses she owned and had gone downstairs for breakfast. Mrs. Evans had laughed kindly at her, instructing Courtney that there was farm work to be done before breakfast, so she had better get back upstairs and put on Duncan's old clothes again.   
This morning, Courtney was prepared for the early wake-up call and for the farm work. She trailed down the stairs after the two oldest boys while Duncan was no where to be seen. Courtney hadn't seen him until breakfast yesterday, either. Not that she cared, Duncan could have fallen off the old barn roof for all she knew and there was not one bit of remorse in her mind for thinking so.   
"Morning," Mrs. Evans called to the three of them as they all groggily entered the kitchen. The two boys went straight out the side door, heading off to do their morning chores. Courtney was still rubbing the sleep from her eyes when Mrs. Evans called her over. "Are you sure you don't want to try milking the cows?"   
"No, thank you," Courtney mumbled. Mrs. Evans had shown her once again yesterday how to milk the cows, but Courtney was not having any of it. She wanted to stay away from the cows, and the chickens, and the sheep. The only animals she would go near were the horses, and that was only at a safe distance. Her duty was now to open the gate before breakfast and let the horses out to graze. She would then lock the gate and bring down new hay bails from the loft. Then she was allowed in for breakfast before going back out and sweeping up the old hay and filling the water trough.   
It was easy stuff to do, but Courtney wasn't used to doing it. At home in London her daily routine consisted of breakfast, school, homework, reading, bath, supper, bed. She didn't like this new change of having to earn her keep in her new home. She didn't like having to work in the dirt and put up with stupid boys every day for who knew how long. Her teacher in London had said it will be a few months- Courtney's mother had said otherwise. She wasn't one to lie to her daughter, or lie in general, so when Courtney had asked how long she would be away, she had opening admitted that it would be indefinite.   
But if there was one thing Courtney was looking forward to, it was school. Courtney had always been good at school and was excited that today marked the first day she would be starting at a local school in Swansea. Of course, Duncan would be there, but she was sure not all her fellow pupils would be as arrogant and obnoxious as him. 

 

Courtney was proven wrong. The other pupils at school were as arrogant and obnoxious as Duncan was. There just have been something in the Welsh water, Courtney wondered to herself asshe sat alone at dinner time. The other kids were all crowded together, laughing loudly at something someone had said. Courtney sat on her own table in the lunch room, in the far back with her cheese sandwich and The Tale of Peter Rabbit. She'd read it twice more since the train, but still couldn't put it down for a fourth time.   
The morning classes had consisted of arithmetic that Courtney knew all the answers to, followed by learning gas mask procedures. Courtney knew about that too. Her school in London had taught the children what to do in the case of gas bombs.   
After dinner, they were going to practice what to do and where to go during air raids. The teacher had said the class were going to teach the new children some of their songs, though Courtney wasn't particularly looking forward to that. There was only one other evacuee in her tiny class of twelve, but he fitted in much better with the rest of the class than she did. The class was made up of six boys and four girls, and then Courtney and the other evacuee came along. The boys all rough housed and Courtney didn't like it. The girls stuck their noses up at Courtney, or at least one of them did. The rest followed suit out of fear of being thrown out of her group, or at least that was what Courtney saw. She wasn't interested in making friends, she was interested in getting home as quickly as possible. It was only her first day and she was already missing her old school in London, with it's qualified teachers and well-behaved pupils.   
And when the end of the day rolled around, Courtney had to follow Duncan back to the farm where she was set a long list of household chores since she wouldn't do much farm work. Mrs. Evans often mumbled to herself that if her husband was there with them he wouldn't put up with Courtney's nonsense about the animals, and he'd have her shipped off to another family if she wasn't going to be helpful. Courtney wasn't scared or worried, if she went to another family, a nice one in town, there was a better chance she would never have to see Duncan or the farm again. However, Mrs. Evans seemed a lot nicer than her husband was made out to be, and reassured Courtney that she wouldn't allow her to be bounced from pillar to post. She was going to have a real home away from home on Catref Farm, much to Courtney's dismay.   
Duncan came inside early when he'd announced he'd finished all his work. Mrs. Evans sent him straight upstairs to bathe, which he obeyed. Of course, not before he wiped his muddy hands over the back of Courtney's dress and tugged on one of her pigtails.   
"DUNCAN!" Courtney yelped, and he ran upstairs sniggering to himself. Angry tears were starting to floor Courtney's vision when Mrs. Evans came running to see what all the commotion was about.   
"Oh, Courtney, don't cry," she soothed. "We can wash the dress, don't worry."  
Unable to form any words, her mouth opening and closing dryly, Courtney nodded her head. She wiped her hands along her eyes, but it didn't help. Duncan was getting under her skin in the worst way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shorter than the first chapter, but not as much to write.   
> I am hoping to do weekly updates, so keep an eye out here every Friday, but don't freak out on me if I miss a day or am a few days late! I am currently competing in Camp NaNoWriMo and that is stressful writing right there!  
> Anyways, thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter, I wasn't expecting half as many readers as I got! So thank you guys for actually wanting to read this!  
> See you next week!


	3. June 20th 1941

By the end of her first week, Mrs. Evans had decided that Courtney was homesick. That wasn't the case, of course. She didn't exactly miss home, but she definitely was sick. Sick of Duncan and his antics! He would disappear in the mornings then reappear for breakfast, make her feel miserable and alone all day at school, and then she would come back to the farm and he would torment her all evening until bedtime.   
Mrs. Evans seemed completely oblivious to what her youngest son got up to, and more focused on making Courtney feel at home (and scolding her eldest son who was still trying to join the army while underage). And now she had Courtney sat at the dinner table before bed time, adament that she wasn't allowed to go to bed until she had written her mother a letter.   
_Dear Mother_  
But Courtney couldn't get much further than that. She didn't know what to tell her. Mrs. Evans was going to read the letter first, no doubt, so she couldn't exactly write the truth. Courtney was better than that. But she and her mother, though not very close, had always been honest with each other.   
Duncan sat across the table, scribbling away on a torn piece of paper not unlike Courtney's. He hadn't stopped writing since sitting down, and Courtney doubted it was his homework.   
Leaning upwards, Courtney tried to read what he'd got, but Duncan saw and covered it with his hands. He didn't say anything, but stared her down until she gave up. Turning back to her own paper, Courtney was stuck for words.   
_Dear Mother_  
She wanted to write about her new home and her new school and her new friends, but her home smelled, her school was horrible, and she didn't have any friends. Courtney spent all her time feeling out of place. She was a city girl, and the others could sense that. The other evacuee had fit right in, though. He'd made plenty of friends- he'd even made friends with Duncan! Courtney, on the other hand, found it impossible to fit in. The girls in her class weren't the friendliest bunch, unlike the boys. But the boys didn't want anything to do with her because she's a girl.   
_Dear Mother,  
Wales is a lot different from England. There's a lot more sheep here. _  
That wasn't a lie. She could get away with that.  
 _I started school earlier this week and so far my studies are going well. I am still top of my class and the teacher has mentioned putting me in an advanced class as I am already ahead of my fellow pupils._  
Not a complete lie. Going to a private school had put Courtney ahead of the national curriculum, on top of her natural abilities. The things they were covering in class she breezed through as she head learnt it all earlier in the year.   
_Living on a farm I have learnt a lot about all the different kinds of animals._  
Not a lie.  
 _I especially like working with the horses._  
They were the still the only animals Courtney would anywhere near. She was getting better, though, as on her fifth day she managed to help Dale scatter chicken pellets in the coop.   
_I miss you and Father, and hope you tell him I'm well. I hope he gets home safely and gets home soon, and I hope I follow close behind. I can't wait to see the two of you again.  
Love, Courtney. _  
"Done," Courtney announced proudly, handing her letter to Mrs. Evans to read and envelope.   
Duncan looked up from his letter for a moment before scribbling a couple of final words. "Done!" He grinned, handing his own letter to his mother before smugly turning to Courtney. She glared at him and turned away.   
"Can I go to bed now?" She tried to ask politely, but Courtney was sure it came out a bit too nasty. Mrs. Evans still smiled and nodded her head.   
Courtney jumped down from her spot at the table and headed for the staircase. Duncan ran ahead of her, racing her up the stairs. It took Courtney a moment, telling herself it was childish, before her feet started moving faster. She caught up to Duncan easily, but he still beat her to their bedroom.   
He climbed out onto the roof and she followed.   
"My roof," he claimed protectively, to which Courtney rolled her eyes. Duncan had gotten into the habit of claiming it as his every single night. He just had to sit out there before bed. Every. Single. Night. So Courtney had taken to trying to beat him there and claiming it as hers. She was yet to win that race, though.   
They sat in silence as usual, just watching the stars. Courtney did have to admit it was pretty out here. She could barely see the stars at home when she looked out her bedroom window. When she went home, she knew this was something she would miss. The stars were so beautiful in the sky, and the breeze was fresh, not tainted by the all the automobile smells that came from living in an upper-class neighbourhood.   
"I-Is..." Duncan turned to look at the stuttering Courtney, raising his eyebrow slightly. "I-is your father in the army?" She asked, not able to meet his eyes. They hadn't talked much between them, usually only arguing.   
"Yeah. Is yours?"  
"Yeah," Courtney nodded. "He left just before I did."  
"My dad left months ago." Duncan sounded choked up. "He writes sometimes, but not a lot. I try to write to him, but he doesn't always reply."  
Courtney tilted her head towards Duncan, watching him watch the stars with unfocused eyes. It was obvious that he was close with his father- closer than Courtney was with hers, at least, though they weren't close at all.   
"My father doesn't know I'm here. Well, I guess he knows I've been evacuated, but he doesn't know where I am." Courtney scrunched up her face. It didn't seem fair that Duncan missed his dad and she didn't miss hers. She missed her home and her library and her school and her friends. She didn't miss her parents. It wasn't fair.


	4. June 21st 1940

Saturday. Courtney buried her head under her pillow. The cows were at it again and an annoying Davy was standing outside her bedroom door impersonating them. She wanted to yell at him to shut up, but that was impolite. Courtney was still trying to make a good impression.   
She rolled out of bed eventually, ready for a day full of chores as usual. Running a farm took a lot of work, as Courtney quickly learnt. With Mr. Evans away, Mrs. Evans was doing a lot more work, and so were the boys, but Courtney wasn't helping very much. It had been a week and she was still terrified of most of the animals, but she was definitely doing a lot more cleaning. Dale, who had previously been in charge of cleaning, was now taking a more active role in the animal care so that Courtney didn't have to face her fears.   
By the time Courtney got to the kitchen everyone had gone off to do their own days work. She wasn't too hungry, so decided to leave it for now. Instead she collected her bucket and mop from the cupboard and began cleaning the farmhouse from top to bottom. She didn't go in the bedrooms out of privacy, but every other room was scrubbed clean.   
Her stomach started rumbling around half past ten, but Courtney worked through it. It would be lunch time soon,she reminded herself, and pushed on with her work.   
It took her all morning to clean just the inside of the farmhouse to her own standards (which were pretty high). Mrs. Evans called her back downstairs for lunch at midday, to which Courtney eagerly awaited her stale bread sandwiches. She quickly learnt that the lunch routine was the same one everyday, while it was dinner or supper that were the best meals because Mrs. Evans usually did fully cooked dinners, the kind that Courtney hadn't really grown up with.   
"Davey, take Courtney on the milk rounds with you," Mrs. Evans ordered her eldest son. Davey shot her a look when her back was turned, but Courtney just looked confused. Milk rounds?   
Davey eyed Courtney up and down, making her uncomfortable. "Mum, I doubt she's going to be any help!"   
"Oh, you'll find some use for her," Mrs. Evans shushed her son with a careless wave of her hand as she left the four children alone in the kitchen.   
It was silent as Davey sulked, Dale ate and Duncan stared down Courtney. The young girl was looking very nervous. She didn't know what a milk round entailed, and it didn't look like Davey was too happy that she was about to find out. Duncan had a happy smirk on his face one which did nothing to settle Courtney's stomach. The only reason he'd be happy if knowing he had the upper hand over her.   
"Come on then, brat," Davey muttered, getting up from his seat. He gathered his boots from the back door and Courtney followed suit. He led her down to the milk shed. The cows were out grazing, otherwise Courtney would have been running back to the farmhouse.   
Davey made his way to the very back of the shed and pulled open the old refrigerator. It was where they kept all the buckets and bottles of milk. They didn't have a lot of dairy cows so there wasn't a lot of milk.   
The eldest son started pulling clear glass bottles from the fridge, all white with milk, and placing them inside a little blue wagon with a rusted handle and mud-crusted wheels. He didn't stop to ask Courtney to help him, he didn't even acknowledge her at all. She figured he must have done this a lot over the years, as Davey didn't even seem to be paying attention to what he was doing, his actions too mindless, his face too vacant.   
When the fridge was empty, he turned and tugged the wagon back down to the entrance of the milk shed, whistling at Courtney as if she were a dog. Not having anyone to complain to, Courtney followed grumpily. She was not a dog.   
Davey continued to not acknowledge Courtney as he walked down the muddy path that led to the gate that led to the main road. They were halfway to town before Courtney even noticed where they were heading. She had been angrily calling Davey all sorts of names in her head, not the kind of words she would ever be allowed to say out loud.   
It was only a small village, not that many people around. Some kids were playing in the street, but they looked younger than Courtney so she wouldn't have bothered trying to make friends with them.   
As Courtney watched the little ones, Davey stopped at the first house. He knocked on the door and an elderly woman answered shortly after. He didn't have to say anything to her, just handed her two bottles and she dropped some coins into his hand. The old lady patted him on the cheek to which he smiled, closing her front door for her as she hobbled back inside.   
Courtney trailed after him to the second house where this time she watched Davey have to slightly persuade the middle-aged woman to buy the milk. In the end he grabbed onto Courtney's arm and tugged her forward.   
"Please, Mrs. Jones. We're saving up to buy my evacuee sister some real clothes." Courtney looked up at Davey, wondering if he'd gone mad. His face was very convincing, however. She turned back to Mrs. Jones who was giving her a once over, making Courtney look down at her own dress. It was definitely a lot dirtier now than when it arrived. Duncan had made sure to ruin it with as much mud as possible, and it wasn't exactly easy to get out. Her stockings did have a couple of sewn up rips already, and her boots could barely be called 'new' anymore. Courtney turned her head back up to Mrs. Jones, smiling sadly, playing along with Davey's game.   
The older woman rolled her eyes, grabbing the bottle of milk from Davey's hands and tossing him a couple of coins. Before he could even thank her she had shut the door on the pair, but the grin on Davey's face said he didn't care.   
Courtney stared up at him curiously, and stared at him even more curiously as he pulled her to his side. "You and I, Courtney dear, are going to make a lot of money today."  
And they did.   
Before they'd even reached the of one side of the village square they had almost doubled their usual earnings just because persuading people that Courtney needed new clothes. Evacuees were some what coddled by some older folk, while others turned their noses up at the lot. Either way, they were making money with their sob story.   
"Hey, Davey," Courtney piped up. He seemed in a good enough mood to actually talk to her now. The two had spent Courtney's entire week at the farm avoiding each other. Once Davey was done with his farm work he would usually head off to meet up with the friends of his that hadn't been drafted already. Mrs. Evans knew it wouldn't be long until Davey's birthday and he could easily sign himself up then, but until then she had taken to trying to get him to stay home as much as possible, though he wanted none of it. Courtney stayed out of the way when they argued, and Davey usually stormed off outside or to his bedroom afterwards. There hadn't really been a good time to get to know each other.   
"Yes," he replied in a sing-song tone.   
"Why do you want to join the army so badly?"  
"I want to defend my country, Courtney!" He announced proudly, fist on his chest.   
"But you could die."  
"Well, yeah," he replied with a sloppy smile. "All of us could die. Wouldn't you rather die knowing that you did some good in the world?"  
Courtney stopped walking for a moment, mulling it over in her head. "No. I'd rather die doing something sane."  
Davey laughed, tugging her to his side again. "Come on then, oh sane one," he teased. "Let's go get you that new dress."


	5. June 23rd 1940

It was lunch time on Monday when Courtney sat alone in the yard again. She hadn't dared to bring her book with her to school to read as the other children played, she didn't want it getting damaged. Instead she sat, her eyes closed, back against the school building wall, wandering what was going on at home. Her mother hadn't written back to her, though it had only been two days, Courtney doubted she had even received the letter yet. She wasn't exactly getting her hopes up on a reply, mother was probably very busy.  
Before school that morning, Courtney had tried to bribe Mrs. Evans into letting her stay home. It was almost time for the summer holidays, and it would be better if Courtney started fresh in the new school year in September. Mrs. Evans told her not to be so silly, she still needed to finish this school years work. Courtney was just hoping she still wouldn't be stuck in Wales by the start of the new school year. The thought of having to uproot back to her old school and explain to her teachers that what she learnt while she was away was embarrassing. These children were no where near as intellectual as the children at Courtney' school, and the thought of having to admit she was behind on her school work did not sit well with her.  
But yet, here she was, sitting around, wasting her time.   
"Courtney?" Courtney opened one eye, staring up at the red faced girl calling her name. She recognized her from class, one of the snobby girls that never bothered to pay her any attention. "Do you want to come play with us?"  
"No thank you." And she closed her eyes again, leaning her head back and pretending to take a nap.   
"But we're playing Stuck in The Mud, everyone loves playing that!" Courtney heaved a sigh; this girl was just not getting it.   
"Listen, Beth-"  
"I'm Bridgette," the blonde girl smiled. "Beth's the one with pigtails."   
"Whatever," Courtney mumbled, getting to her feet. "Bridgette, I do not want to play your stupid game. I have better things to do."  
"But it's Stuck In The Mud!" Bridgette cried, not quite understanding how anyone would pass up an opportunity to play the game. Courtney had watched them playing it last week during lunch, but she didn't have the slightest clue what it was about. They all looked so stupid standing there like scarecrows.  
"I think Courtney's too scared to play," an unwelcomed voice spoke up from not too far away. Courtney quickly snapped her head in Duncan's direction, sending him a glare that should have melted his brain. Of course, lacking a brain, Duncan simply smirked back in Courtney's direction. "I don't think she'd be any good at it, Bridge-y, leave her 'sleep'."  
"I would too be good at it!"  
"So you'll play?" The young blonde's face lit up with a wide-toothed smile, her hands clasped together in joy. Courtney was still staring with narrow eyes at Duncan, while the other kids were shouting at them to hurry so they could continue to play.   
"Fine, I'll play," Courtney grumbled. Duncan ran back off to the others as Bridgette explained the rules to Courtney. There are two taggers and if they tag you then you're stuck in the mud with your arms and legs in a star shape. You only become unstuck if one of the non-taggers runs under your arms or legs.   
Pointless.   
That was Courtney's first thought. Pointless. There was no point to this game and that was that. But, deep down,though she wouldn't have ever admitted it, she was glad Bridgette had asked her to play (less glad that Duncan got involved) because she knew that she needed someone to give her a push.   
They picked one girl and one boy to be the taggers. The girl, Heather, was the leader of the snobby girl group. She hadn't even looked in Courtney's direction since she agreed to join the game. Geoff, the boy, Courtney knew as the other evacuee. He had settled in a lot better than Courtney had.   
Duncan called ready, set, go and everyone started running. Courtney followed Bridgette in circles mostly, not sure what she was doing. She was easily tagged by Heather, who did seem to be chasing after Courtney more than the other kids. Bridgette quickly ducked under Courtney's arm once Heather was, smugly, running around the other side of the yard.   
The children were laughing, giggling, chasing each other in circles around their cramped space. Courtney ducked under some of their arms while others ducked under hers. Her heart felt elated and she had this strange, jittery feeling in her stomach that she'd never had before. But she was having fun.   
By their third round of new taggers, Courtney and Duncan had been chosen. Duncan grabbed Courtney's arm, whispering a plan in her ear. Apparently he did not do things by halves. Quickly and soundly, the whole class was running around once again. Courtney was putting Duncan's plan into action of them starting with one person and tagging anyone that got too close to them. Eventually they won, just as the bell ringer came out. Duncan held his hand up high towards Courtney, a wide grin on his face. Courtney smiled shyly back, slapping her palm against his before following her fellow pupils back to class. 

 

The clock struck three and everyone cheered, glad to get the first day of the week over with. Courtney grabbed at her knapsack, slinging it over her head, the strap resting on her left shoulder, and headed for the door. Usually she walked home alone, following behind Duncan who knew the way, but as soon as she made it into the yard, Bridgette came running up behind her.   
The young blonde girl began to chat idly, to which Courtney nodded her head, not paying too much attention. She mentioned that she lived in town, which Courtney passed through to get back to the farm. The other evacuee, Geoff, was staying a few houses down from her with one of the other boys in their class. He'd managed to fit in quickly because a lot of the class lived in town, while only two (three including Courtney) classmates didn't.   
Courtney knew that Duncan didn't travel into town outside of school often, he usually spent his days hanging around the farm. She wondered if he missed his friends, though she guessed if he did he would have made more of an effort to go see them on the weekends.   
Bridgette continued to talk about nothing important, until they reached her turning and she waved goodbye to Courtney and ran after the girl Courtney guessed to be Beth by the way Bridgette shouted her name.   
The young girl craned her neck, looking to see if she could spot Duncan anywhere, but he was no where to be found. Courtney knew the way back to the farm fairly well, and figured she could always ask for directions if she did get lost, so she set off without him, only to find him sitting under one of the trees in the first field out of town.   
Courtney stopped to stare at him, placing both her feet on the bottom plank of the wooden that encased the field. It gave her a better view, though it also made her be seen.   
"What you looking at?" Duncan grumbled, his high spirits obviously deflated. Courtney shrugged in response, not giving her usual witty remark. She jumped down from the fence and began to walk off again, only to hear the creak of the fence as Duncan jumped it behind her.   
This time around, he was the one following her home, as if he'd lost his way since this morning. But Courtney didn't mind. She was still smiling from dinner time, and she continued to smile the whole way home.   
When they got the farm, four miles away from the school, Mrs. Evans greeted them with a solemn smile. Davey and Dale were sitting at the table, a white letter sat between them. Duncan took one look and knew what it was, and Courtney sank into the background.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two things.   
> 1) Yes, I did always plan to have Bridgette and Geoff in this. Bridgette as one of the girls who followed Heather around and Geoff as the other evacuee.   
> 2) The high-five did not get popularized until the 70's but you know what? Duncan and Courtney are way ahead of their game anyway ;)


	6. June 26th 1940

The letter wasn't bad. After Duncan had read it he had handed it to Courtney, and she reluctantly read it. She was expecting some tale of a heroic yet tragic death from Mr. Evans superior officer, but no, it was from Mr. Evans himself. He had been hurt, but still alive. He was staying on base until he healed and then he would be sent back out onto the field.  
Courtney heard Mrs. Evans crying herself to sleep every night since then, but she wouldn't dare cry in front of her boys. She was strong for them. Davey took a more active role in being man of the house and stayed home more than he went out. While Dale, on the other hand, took to locking himself in his bedroom more often than he had before.   
Duncan was the strange one, he carried on as normal, as if this didn't effect him at all. He repressed his feelings and buried them underneath and didn't tell any of his friends what had happened. He pretended it hadn't happened. Mrs. Evans wasn't the only one worried about him, though. Courtney had taken to checking up on Duncan every five minutes, making sure he hadn't lost his mind completely.   
The pair went to school for the next three days without a hitch. Duncan would still ignore Courtney, but he had stopped being such a pain in the arse. Everyone else had school had no idea what was going on, and it wasn't Courtney's place to tell them. But they were treating her differently now, letting her play with them at break times and sit with them at lunch. She wasn't feeling as much of an outcast now, which felt a lot better.   
Bridgette was quickly becoming a close friend. She would hang around Courtney all day to the point where Mr. Jones, their teacher, had to put Bridgette back in her original seat as she wouldn't stop talking to Courtney through every lesson.   
It was a weird sensation, and Courtney couldn't compare it to anything she'd ever felt before. She didn't exactly have friends back in London, and she didn't know what it was like to have a constant companionship. Courtney found herself allowing Bridgette to follow her around, talking her ear off, much to Heather's annoyance. Heather had a personal vendetta against Courtney and the only reason Courtney could think of was because she had taken Bridgette away. Heather still had her other two girls at her side, but Bridgette never looked like she had fit in with them before, and Beth was still friends with Bridgette and Lindsay was best friends with Beth, and Heather blamed Courtney for the whole confusing ordeal because apparently she was stealing her friends and Courtney found it all very confusing. 

 

On Friday Bridgette asked her a strange question:   
"Do you want to come to my house tomorrow?"  
Courtney tilted her to the side. She'd never been invited somewhere so casual as a persons house before, at least not for some ulterior motive such as piano practice or a birthday gathering. She didn't know what it was people did when they went over each others houses.   
"Me and DJ and Geoff were going to go to the sweet shop and maybe you and Duncan wanted to come too, but you don't have to say yes if you don't want to, I know you have chores and stuff on the farm, I don't know what that's like though so I guess it's not really 'siderate and-"  
"Okay."  
Bridgette shut up instantly, turning her head back towards Courtney who simply shrugged her shoulders.   
"Really?" Bridgette gasped. "Because I never really have a girl to hang out with, only boys, and boys aren't all that great." The young girl pulled a face, making Courtney laugh. After living with three boys for two weeks, she could relate. "And Beth isn't really allowed out and Heather's not really that nice and Lindsay's an idiot- oh no, I didn't mean that!"   
Courtney continued to listen to Bridgette ramble on for a while after she had stopped apologising for saying something mean against Lindsay who was 'really a big sweetheart'. 

 

After school, Courtney found herself in a gang of her classmate who had all ended up walking home together. Twelve eight year olds walking down a road seemed like trouble, and a lot of the elders stopped themselves to see what they were up to, but the kids were laughing too much to care.   
Slowly the group trailed off down side streets, and when there were only six of them left Courtney still found herself with a massive grin on her face. It was her, Bridgette and Beth on one side with Geoff, DJ and Duncan on the other. Beth kept nudging Bridgette so that her arm would brush against Geoff's, to which he would smile at her and Bridgette would blush like mad.   
Courtney couldn't keep up with the easy-flowing conversation, it was changing so often, but she didn't feel like an outsider anymore, she felt included. No one was telling her to walk behind because there wasn't enough room, they made room. They welcomed her. Even Duncan, much to Courtney's surprise.   
When the four went off down their own side street, to their own houses, which Bridgette explained Duncan knew where it was because he'd been best friends with DJ since nursery, and DJ had always lived by Bridgette, it was just Duncan and Courtney left.   
He seemed in a good enough mood, a faint smile on his face, though Courtney could see that it didn't quite reach his eyes upon closer inspection.   
"What you looking at?" Duncan mumbled, pulling his cap lower on his head. Courtney shrugged and turned away. She didn't like Duncan very much, but when found herself missing the pranks he played on her. Tugging her pigtails, spilling her milk, running his muddy boots through the kitchen after she'd cleaned it. Okay, maybe not so much the extra cleaning, but the rest of it suddenly felt like a missing piece in her chest. It had become the norm after two weeks of the same routine. She wondered if everything was the same inside Duncan's head. 

 

The clock fell on six and the Evans sat down for supper. It was nothing more than a bowl of broth, which was what they had most evenings. Courtney finished washing her hands under the tap after she had been scrubbing the floor after Dale had forgotten to take his boots of in a rush to get back to his bedroom. Courtney never knew what was so important that he had to spend all his time in his room, but she sure was angry at his carelessness.   
"How was school?" Mrs. Evans asked over the scraping spoons. No one spoke, their faces solemn.   
Courtney was watching Duncan from the corner of her eyes, mindlessly eating her own food and Duncan just played with his.   
"Courtney?"  
"Huh?" The young girl quickly turned to face her host mother.   
"How was school?" The older woman encouraged. Courtney had found that Mrs. Evans favoured her out of the four children, and she wasn't sure if it was out of politeness towards or a guest or because she really had always wanted a daughter. Being saddled with three sons must have upset her a long time ago, though Courtney suspected she got over it, but having the opportunity to have a surrogate daughter did seem to put a smile on her face.  
"Oh um...Bridgette asked me and Duncan if we want to go to the sweet shop tomorrow with her, DJ and Geoff-"  
"Everyone keeps talking about the Battle of Britain," Duncan interrupted, dropping his spoon against his dish. "What is it?"  
Mrs. Evans paled slightly. Ever since the Priminister's announcement on the radio the week before, The Battle of Britain was a common topic, yet no one seemed to be talking about it at the same time.   
"It...Well, sweetie, it's nothing for you to worry about."  
"It means that the German's are gonna be targeting us next," Davey replied. "This is why I want to go join the army, to stop those stupid pricks from ruining our country!"  
"Davey!" Mrs. Evans scolded, though Courtney didn't know if it was from speaking out of turn, cursing or bringing back up his plans to join the army. "Do you honestly believe you are going to stop an entire countries worth of German soldiers by yourself?"  
"But I can help!"  
"You're just a boy!"  
Davey threw down his spoon and silently excused himself from the table. Mrs. Evan stared angrily after him, but Courtney could tell she was hurt. She looked like she was going to cry again, and Courtney suspected she was going actually going to when she ordered her, Duncan and Dale to get themselves to bed without letting them finish their supper.   
Duncan crept into his room with Courtney instead of going to Dale's room with him like Courtney had expected him to do. He was upset and angry too, and Courtney didn't think he'd want her to see him like that.   
They silently climbed out onto their secret window spot, watching the sun set in the distance. Summer was rolling on past already and they were almost to July. The night was cool, a soft breeze flowing through the farm. Courtney could hear the distant cows which Dale had forgotten to bring in from grazing. She guessed Mrs. Evans would do it when she'd calmed down.  
"Are you okay?"   
After a moment, Duncan shook his head.   
"What if he doesn't come home? What if I never see him again?"  
"At least you have your mum. Mine still hasn't replied to my letter...I could never see either of my parents again and I wouldn't even know it because no one knows where I am."  
The silence was bitter and eventually Duncan left. They weren't very good at the talking thing, and they weren't exactly friends.   
Courtney felt tense as she crawled into bed. Her brain wouldn't settle even after reading a few chapters of Peter Rabbit. It was playing on her mind about parents and death and how she really didn't know what was going on at home. She didn't know what was going on around her.   
And she was scared.  
Courtney didn't want to admit it, but she was terrified. Anything could happen at any minute and they could all end up dead. She was old enough to understand what was going on around them, even though the adults didn't think she did. The children her age were sheltered. At school the teachers wouldn't talk about it, at home parents avoided the topic in front of the young ones. But Courtney knew. She knew that first night when her father had received his letter and she'd found her parents discussing very seriously what they were going to do when they thought she'd gone to bed. There was a war going on and it didn't look like it was going to stop anytime soon.   
And just the unnerve Courtney, as she finally settled into a restless sleep, the sirens started.   
She didn't hear it at first, mistaking it for an alarm clock, or even the cows in the field telling her it's morning now. It wasn't until Mrs. Evans came running into the room frantically carrying a small candle that Courtney realised what was going on. They'd had practice evacuations in school, but it was nothing like this.   
"Come on, Courtney, get up, sweetie, take this," Mrs Evans fussed, thrusting Courtney's gas mask into her hand. "Let's go." She grabbed onto Courtney's wrist with her free hand and hauling her out of bed. Courtney barely had time to run the sleep from her eyes before Mrs. Evans dragged her into Dale's bedroom, ready to wake up the other two boys, but they were already up and putting on their boots.  
Davey was scurrying around behind them, grabbing at all sorts of items that couldn't couldn't name as useful even in her hazy state.   
"Davey, put those down and carry Courtney." To which he did. Courtney was scooped up into the eldest brothers arms and he bounced down the stairs, waiting for the other three family members in the kitchen. Courtney was put to sit on the table as Davey raced around, trying to find the house key to unlock the back door. Only when Mrs. Evans arrived and reminded him they never locked the back door did he stop to pick Courtney up again.   
The blaring sirens were making it hard for Courtney to doze off on Davey's shoulder as he bounded across the back garden towards the shelter. Through blurred vision she could make out Dale walking quickly behind his older brother and Mrs. Evans, her hand wrapped around Duncan's wrist, dragging her youngest son along.   
Davey put her back on her feet as he opened up the door and hurried her inside. He stayed outside for a moment, waiting for everyone to cram in before locking it tightly behind him.   
It was very narrow, Courtney noted, and it smelled damp. There was barely any furniture. There were two bunk beds, one against each of the side walls. At the end of the left side bed, against the rest of the remaining space of the wall was a wooden desk that looked like it had seen one too many bugs. Across the room, at the end of the other bed, was a small cupboard which Courtney guessed contained the food.   
But that was it, nothing fancy, not even enough beds for all of them. Dale had already claimed the top bunk on one and Davey tossed his gas mask on the top bunk of the other one. Courtney stood hazily in the doorway, her eyes still not quite awake.   
Mrs. Evans settled herself on the bunk under Dale's, instructing her youngest son to turn off the lights. Duncan turned around, as much sleep in his eyes as Courtney's. He reached out and tugged on one of her messy pigtails before reaching over her shoulder and flicking the switch on the wall.   
It was dark in the shelter now, but Courtney was more awake thanks to Duncan's abuse. She wondered why he'd done it now, and wanted to know if it had anything to do with the fact she'd only been thinking of the lack of pigtail-pulling a twelve hours ago.   
It was a tight squeeze, but Courtney and Duncan managed to work their way into the same bed without starting an argument. There wasn't much of an option unless one of them wanted to crawl into bed with Mrs. Evans who, by the sound of all the snoring, was asleep like her two eldest sons.   
"Why do you keep pulling my pigtails?"   
Duncan shrugged. "What else am I supposed to do with them?"  
Courtney rolled her eyes in the dark, too scared to try to fall asleep. The sirens were still blaring outside, but they sounded distant through the metal walls.   
Duncan didn't look like he planned to sleep either, and the two ended up whispering secrets in the dark like old friends. It wasn't anything momentous, but something just clicked, and things weren't quite the same for the two after that.

**Author's Note:**

> Obviously Duncan and Courtney are young right now, but people grow up...
> 
> I decided to base this in Swansea and it’s surrounding areas because I am from Swansea. I felt like I’d be able to give a better representation than if I’d said Cornwall as I have never been to Cornwall but have lived in Swansea for 19 years.  
> Catref Farm means Home Farm in Welsh. I decided on that because I wanted this place to feel like a home to Courtney since I’m trying to paint the idea that she doesn't really know what that’s like. “Welcome to Catref Farm” can be interpreted to Welcome Home and I think that’s beautiful.  
> I did also wanna call it Cas-Bach Farm because Cas-Bach means Little Fort and I thought that was adorkable!  
> Fun farm animal facts: I have petted a sheep, and it felt like a wire brush. And I have also been stalked by cows….not even kidding. Fun story that.
> 
> I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I have enjoyed writing, and I hope I can keep up with writing it as I have some serious story ideas in mind!


End file.
